Disconnect – by Matthew Connors

Since the Industrial Revolution, there has been a gradual societal withdrawal, a progressive isolation and alienation, from the natural world. The decline of family-run farms and urban migration have significantly decreased peoples encounters with nature. Time to enjoy the natural world has progressively been usurped by the need for multiple jobs, longer working hours, and lengthy commutes on crowded interstates. Until recently, childhood had been sheltered from these time constraints of adulthood and separation from nature. But, no more.

Childhood used to be a time to delight in the outdoors, a time of wild explorations and flights of imagination, but more and more in the 21st century children have retreated from outside play. Extra time not devoted to organized sports and homework is being squandered in the electronic glare of televisions, computer monitors, cell phones, mp3 players, video games, and social media sites. Although technology has undoubtedly benefitted society and our children as well, is something being irreversibly altered by our cultures avid dependence upon it? Will today’s youth be irretrievably engulfed by the pervasive availability of the digital airwaves? Is it too late to reintroduce our children to the wonders of the outdoors and their imaginations? Technology is here to stay, but our children’s time of innocence, playfulness and freedom is all too brief.

It is quite noticeable to travel thru a neighborhood today and not see or hear any children playing outside! Who will preserve our forests and fields if this generation has no appreciation for the outdoors?

Anne C says:April 16, 2011 at 6:49 pm

Matt–this is a terrific commentary! and very appropriate for today’s world.

Kathy says:April 17, 2011 at 5:06 pm

My thoughts exactly! Wonderful illustration of what we are headed for if we don’t get really mindful of what we’re doing with our minds and what we let our kids do often under the guise of preparing them for the future but really about lazy parenting. And I’m speaking from looking in the mirror! Great use of images to comment on how we live in the world!

It’s striking, seeing these deserted playing grounds. A few have even been renovated to be safe, to not risk having our small ones getting hurt (and cry). It will be interesting to see how these generations turn out. It will back-fire, surely. It always does. New generations always make everything in opposite to the older ones. In twenty years, children will be out playing again.
Thanks for sharing this very good series of images and thoughts.

Great serious Matt, and I always return to that very first image. It’s a classic.

The developed world is at a point now where technology is like tangible magic everyone can dabble in. I wonder if there’ll come a time where the delight in static devices will end and we’ll start to take that for granted, and go back outside to where the sun is shining and the playgrounds wait.

I noticed the same things in my neighbourhood as Jeane – fewer and fewer kids playing outside. Wandering through streets i can’t but notice empty playgrounds and glare through windows from tv or computers instead. As Matt said, we all, children or adults undoubtedly benefited from technology – no denying there; but isn’t that got to far somehow ? Not having children yet i can’t truly judge but i’m sure i wouldn’t want my kids to have tv or any other device as part of family (but often i can see how they become one), i wouldn’t want it to substitue simple talk or outside activity, to suppress imagination or confine space of creativity of my kids. This is why this article truly resonates with me – it is important to remember that all these means are meant to be a good servant but they too frequently become a bad master. I repeat after Matt – help the kids disconnect and let them remember more from their childhood than some lame video game.

Apart from the article – great, strong images Matt. I also return to the opening one (and 8th too) , plus i love how you engaged your kids in all this. Somehow i don’t worry about them being sucked in virtual reality 🙂 Good job

[…] work with child portraiture (see his photo essay on kids and technology, fitting for this series, here) wrote recently: "I think web-sharing needs to be done well and that it is very easy to overdo. […]